Bush, Indonesian Leader Hail U.S. Education Aid

President Bush and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia said last week that a 3-year-old U.S. aid program is helping Indonesian schools improve.

In a joint statement released Nov. 20, during Mr. Bush’s brief visit to the Asian nation, the two presidents called the $157 million program “the cornerstone of U.S. assistance to Indonesia and a symbol of our forward-looking partnership.”

“The presidents highlighted the importance of education for democracy, tolerance, and economic progress, and reaffirmed their commitment to working together to revitalize their cooperation in education,” said the statement, which also covered the nations’ economic and diplomatic relations.

In 2003, President Bush announced the program as an effort to help Indonesian schools improve, focusing on the teaching of basic skills. Through the program, the U.S. Agency for International Development has worked in 1,000 schools with 300,000 students in the world’s largest Muslim nation.